Page 84 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

“No. Not tonight. I don’t have enough energy to spare on . . .” She angles away from me as if the sight of me is too much. She sniffles but swipes at her cheeks before peering up at me again. “I don’t know what to believe, Nick, but there’s no reason for you to stay.”

“You’re my reason for staying, Natalie.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, keeping an impartial face. “That’s not good enough anymore.”

Staring at her, I lose my words in the sliver delivered to my heart. “Love is enough.”

“Not our kind.”

“What kind of love are we?”

“The hopeless kind, star-crossed and tragic.” I hate how definitive she makes it sound.

“I didn’t know it was your family. I swear to God.”

“You knew!” Rage roars through her. She slams her fists against my chest. “You knew, and you used me. You lied to me about everything.” I’m hit again, but this time, she pushes so hard that she ends up stumbling backward. “And for what? A better deal? Well, that didn’t happen, so move on without me.”

When I reach out to catch her, she smacks my hand. “Don’t you touch me. Not ever again.” The anger in her eyes freezes me to the spot, and she screams, “That’s why you wanted to marry me, isn’t it? Isn’t it?” Disgust reaches her eyes before I can answer and she adds, “You knew I’d leave you, so you thought you’d play that card. You must be pretty damn proud of yourself for tricking me.”

“It wasn’t a trick. There were no tricks or lies despite what your mom has been telling you.”

Shock rips through her expression. “Are you calling my mom a liar?”

“No, I’m not, but this isn’t black and white. She’s in the gray area of understanding this situation like I am. I didn’t know about your company. I had no idea that your family owned Manhattan Financial. I swear I didn’t fucking know.”

“I’m going to lose my company, Nick. How the hell could younothave known? You met with my parents. You heard me talk about STJ more than once since we found each other in New York. With the damage already done, where did you really think that would leave us?”

I move in as close as she’ll let me, which isn’t close enough for my liking. “We’re still in love. We still have each other to rely on.We are still us.Don’t let the lies win, because I don’t think what you’ve heard is correct. My father doesn’t do business like that. He’s?—.”

“Enough.” She covers her forehead with her hand, and says, “I’m such an idiot for trusting a guy.” Agitation sets in as she stares at me like she never knew me at all. “I wish I would have kept walking.”

I reach out to touch her, but she moves away from my hand. “Then you’d be on a date with Chad?—”

“At least Chad didn’t lie to me.”

“Neither did I, Natalie. I know there’s a lot going on. You should spend time with your dad and not think about anything else. We can talk when you’re rational.”

“Rational?” she scoffs, planting her hands on her hips. “Wow, Nick. You know what? I’ll never be rational enough to believe the lies you’ve been feeding me. My eyes have been opened to your deceptive practices.” She walks backward. “Take Manhattan Financial and STJ Co. It’s yours to do as you please just like you wanted all along, but if you care about me at all, then leave me alone.” She turns her back on me and storms toward the hospital.

“I’ll go to a hotel?—”

Turning around, she calls back, “I don’t mean just for the night, Nick. I mean forever. There’s no way I can be with someone like you.”

“Like me? What does that mean?”

“Someone who cares more about business than people.”

I hate that I’m defending business decisions I didn’t make. “Your father?—”

Whipping around, she points at me. “My father is fighting for his life because he was fighting for me. Against you!” Although plenty of sidewalk stretches between us, I feel the jolt of her words.

Before the doors open for her, I say, “Natalie, I haven’t lied to you. Iwon’tlie to you. I’ll leave the hospital now, but please let me find out the truth and then sort this out. I love you.”Forever.

This can’t be it.

We can’t be over.

She never breaks her stride, and I’m left with the remains of what could have been. I’m left dumbfounded with no clear answers to how this turned so quickly into the destruction of us.

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